Mordaunt ‘bigger risk’ for Starmer says Ed Balls

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Ed Balls has described Penny Mordaunt as the “bigger risk” for the Labour Party as the current Leader of the Commons could offer a “new” dynamic to the Conservative Party. Ms Mordaunt has achieved 25 public declarations of support from her Tory colleagues, far below the 100 votes required for her to progress into the next round of the contest. Her rival, Rishi Sunak, has soared ahead with over 160 supporters as the former Chancellor looks set to succeed Liz Truss in Number Ten.

Discussing the Tory leadership contest, Ed Balls reported: “For Keir Starmer, Penny Mordaunt was the bigger risk because she was a blank sheet of paper, she had charisma, she could pretend to be new.”

He continued: “I don’t think the Conservatives are going to gamble on somebody who was untried and untested. 

“I think [Sir Keir] would have thought the only person who could potentially turn this round in the next period for the Conservative was new.”

The former Labour MP suggested both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak remained too closely tied to the stained reputation of the previous Conservative government, an association which could cost the party greatly at a future general election.  

Balls continued: “Conservative MPs will have decided that, after Liz Truss, they weren’t going to gamble again. 

“In the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt did well last week. The problem for Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson is they were both there for the last two years. 

“People will be looking at these last 24 hours – Boris Johnson returning from a beach while he’s a sitting MP and being investigated by the Standards Committee, to try and have another go. 

“Rishi Sunak, who left the Cabinet because he didn’t trust Boris Johnson, is now apparently negotiating with him.”

Read more: Mordaunt’s support ‘well above published number’ as Rishi eyes No.10

Boris Johnson had already secured the public backing of dozens of his Tory colleagues as he jetted back from a trip to the Caribbean.

Shortly after returning to the UK, Johnson announced he had held discussions with both Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt and had ultimately decided not to stand in the contest himself.

His statement read: “I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny – because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest – we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this.

“Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

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If Penny Mordaunt fails to achieve one hundred votes of support before 2pm on Monday, she will not breach the threshold needed for her bid to continue.

In this case, Rishi Sunak, as the only remaining candidate, would assume the Conservative leadership.

However, supporters of Mordaunt have suggested there are ample backers of her campaign within the parliamentary party and there have been hints that her vote tally is far higher than the publicly declared figures.

If Mordaunt is able to make it through the initial round of the contest, the leadership competition will progress to a vote among Conservative Party members, with a victor announced by Friday.

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